The Assembly met at 12.00 noon (Madam Speaker in the Chair).

ASSEMBLY business

Ian Paisley: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: No points of order will be taken until after Members have signed the Roll of Membership. Members, please take your seats.
I offer my congratulations to all of you following the election. As well as welcoming back former Members, I extend a particular welcome to those Members who are present in the Chamber for the first time.
Members may have noted that, in accordance with Standing Order 7, today’s meeting did not begin with Prayers. Members will also be aware that the main item of business to be conducted today is the signing of the Roll of Membership, as provided for in Standing Order 4.
Before this meeting of the Assembly, the Clerk drew up a list of seats in the Assembly held by members of each party, as it appeared to him. Members had the opportunity, up until one hour before the start of this meeting, to correct their membership as stated on that list by writing to the Speaker. I wish to confirm that I have now published the list, as required by Standing Order 4(g), and that copies have been made available in Members’ pigeonholes and in the Rotunda.

assembly business

Roll of Membership

Madam Speaker: As required by Standing Order 4(a), a Member shall be regarded as having taken his or her seat only when he or she has signed the Roll of Membership. I do not, therefore, propose to take any points of order until the Roll has been signed by all Members present.
I shall now explain the procedures that will be followed for the signing of the Roll. These have been discussed and agreed through the usual channels.
I shall invite Members of the Assembly to come forward in their party groupings to sign the Roll. I will call the parties in alphabetical order by the name of the party. However, with the endorsement yesterday of the Business Committee, I have agreed to a request from a Member who has a pressing commitment that I should call him before I start to call the party groupings. The Independent Member will be called after the party groupings.
When each party name is called, I ask Members of that party to rise in their places and proceed through the Aye Lobby on my right. Members should then come forward to sign one of the two Roll pages placed here on the table in front of the Speaker’s Table.
Members should enter today’s date and print and sign their name, and may enter a designation of identity — “Nationalist, Unionist or Other”. I draw Members’ attention to Standing Order 4(e), which provides that a Member who does not enter a designation of identity will be deemed to be designated “Other” for the purposes of the Standing Orders.
The process of signing the Roll may take some time; I ask Members for their patience during this procedure.
We shall now proceed.
I invite Sir Reg Empey of the Ulster Unionist Party to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Member signed the Roll of Membership:
Empey, Sir Reg Unionist

Madam Speaker: I invite Members of the Alliance Party to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Members signed the Roll of Membership:
Farry, Stephen Other Ford, David   Other Lo, Anna Other Long, NaomiOther McCarthy, Kieran Other Neeson, Sean Other

Madam Speaker: I invite Members of the Democratic Unionist Party to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Members signed the Roll of Membership:
Bresland, AllanUnionist Browne, The Lord Unionist Buchanan, TomUnionist Campbell, Gregory Unionist Clarke, TrevorUnionist Craig, JonathanUnionist Dawson, GeorgeUnionist Dodds, NigelUnionist Donaldson, Jeffrey Unionist Easton, AlexUnionist Foster, ArleneUnionist Hamilton, SimonUnionist Hay, WilliamUnionist Hilditch, DavidUnionist Irwin, WilliamUnionist McCausland, Nelson Unionist McCrea, IanUnionist McCrea, William Unionist McIlveen, MichelleUnionist McQuillan, Adrian Unionist Morrow, The LordUnionist Moutray, StephenUnionist Newton, RobinUnionist Paisley, IanUnionist Paisley Jnr, IanUnionist Robinson, George Unionist Robinson, IrisUnionist Robinson, PeterUnionist Shannon, JimUnionist Simpson, DavidUnionist Spratt, JimmyUnionist Storey, MervynUnionist Weir, PeterUnionist Wells, JimUnionist Wilson, SammyUnionist

Madam Speaker: I invite the Member of the Green Party to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Member signed the Roll of Membership:
Wilson, BrianOther

Madam Speaker: Order. There should be no applause in the Gallery, please.
I now invite the Member from the Progressive Unionist Party to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Member signed the Roll of Membership:
Purvis, DawnUnionist

Madam Speaker: I now invite the Members of Sinn Féin to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Members signed the Roll of Membership:
Adams, GerryNationalist Anderson, MartinaNationalist Boylan, Cathal Nationalist Brady, Mickey Nationalist Brolly, FrancieNationalist Butler, Paul Nationalist Clarke, Willie Nationalist Gildernew, MichelleNationalist Kelly, GerryNationalist Maskey, Alex Nationalist Maskey, Paul Nationalist McCann, JenniferNationalist McCartney, RaymondNationalist McGill, Claire Nationalist McGuinness, MartinNationalist McHugh, Gerry Nationalist McKay, DaithíNationalist McLaughlin, MitchelNationalist Molloy, FrancieNationalist Murphy, ConorNationalist Ní Chuilín, CáralNationalist O’Dowd, JohnNationalist O’Neill, MichelleNationalist Ramsey, SueNationalist Ruane, CaitríonaNationalist

Madam Speaker: I invite Members of the Social Democratic and Labour Party to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Members signed the Roll of Membership:
Attwood, AlexNationalist Bradley, DominicNationalist Bradley, MaryNationalist Bradley, PJNationalist Burns, ThomasNationalist Dallat, JohnNationalist Durkan, MarkNationalist Gallagher, TommyNationalist Hanna, CarmelNationalist Kelly, DoloresNationalist Maginness, AlbanNationalist McDonnell, AlasdairNationalist McGlone, PatsyNationalist O’Loan, DeclanNationalist Ramsey, PatNationalist Ritchie, MargaretNationalist

Madam Speaker: I invite Members of the Ulster Unionist Party to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Members signed the Roll of Membership:
Armstrong, BillyUnionist Beggs, RoyUnionist Burnside, DavidUnionist Cobain, FredUnionist Coulter, RobertUnionist Cree, LeslieUnionist Elliott, TomUnionist Gardiner, SamUnionist Kennedy, DannyUnionist McCallister, John Unionist McClarty, DavidUnionist McCrea, BasilUnionist McFarland, Alan Unionist McGimpsey, Michael Unionist McNarry, DavidUnionist Robinson, KenUnionist Savage, GeorgeUnionist

Madam Speaker: I invite the Independent Member to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
The following Member signed the Roll of Membership:
Deeny, KieranOther

Madam Speaker: I invite any Member present who has not already done so to come forward to sign the Roll of Membership.
I thank Members for their co-operation.

Ian Paisley: On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I wish to revisit a matter that I raised in this Chamber before the end of the last Assembly mandate, namely the security of Members. Madam Speaker, I wonder whether you are of a mind to finish the task that has already been started so that the work that has already been done will not be lost. Perhaps you could inform new Members of the plans for their security when coming to and going from this House and when they are in the Chamber doing the business of the Assembly.

Madam Speaker: Thank you for that point of order, Dr Paisley. We have been making contingency plans, and I hope that the new Members have already been informed of the current situation by party Whips. As Dr Paisley said, the Commission for the Transitional Assembly was working on this matter before today’s meeting, and it has received the final report of the review of security.
Members will understand that it would be inappropriate for me to discuss that report in the Chamber. However, I intend to meet the Secretary of State to discuss the outcome of that review, and the Commission has agreed to engage in discussions with the parties in the coming weeks. We will issue invitations to you, Dr Paisley, and the other party leaders to discuss this matter. The Commission must consider not only the implementation of the review; there is also the matter of cost.
Ongoing security has also been looked at. As most Members know, we have introduced an additional PSNI presence. We have asked people to be vigilant about where they go, and I ask every Member, not just the new ones, to listen to the advice of the Doorkeepers or of any of my staff. If anyone has any queries, please go in the first instance to the Deputy Chief Executive or the Keeper of the House, who will advise about what can and cannot be done until we get the security review finished. Like you, Dr Paisley, I want that completed as soon as possible, and I thank you for asking about it.
I thank Members for their co-operation and patience during the signing of the Roll. The Roll will be placed in the Chamber on sitting days to enable any Member who has not yet signed it to do so. Standing Order 4(a) states that my decision on whether a Member has taken his or her seat in accordance with that Standing Order is final. I can only make that decision after scrutinising all of the entries on the Roll. I intend to make an announcement on this matter at the start of the next meeting of the Assembly.
Adjourned at 12.51 pm.